Golf Course Worker Found Dead in Pond After Horrifying Lawn Mower Accident

A routine day at an Illinois golf course turned into a nightmare after a 64-year-old employee was found dead in a pond, pinned beneath a lawn mower.

Authorities say Jay L. Roush, an employee at Eagle Ridge Golf Course, was discovered unresponsive around 12:10 p.m. on Friday, May 22, after a co-worker became concerned when he could not reach him by phone.

What that employee found was devastating.

According to the Edgar County Coroner’s Office, Roush was pinned underneath a zero-turn mower in roughly three feet of water. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, including Horizon Health Ambulance, the Paris Fire Department, Paris Police Department and Edgar County Sheriff’s Department.

But it was already too late.

The coroner was called to the golf course, and Roush was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials said the co-worker had gone looking for Roush after repeated attempts to contact him failed. The search led to the pond, where Roush was found trapped beneath the mower.

At this point, investigators have not said what caused the mower to end up in the water.

The incident remains under investigation by the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department and the Edgar County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday morning, May 26, in Springfield, Illinois, with forensic pathologist Dr. Nate Patterson.

The shocking death has rattled the small Illinois community, where what should have been an ordinary workday at a golf course ended in tragedy.

Sadly, it is not the only recent fatal mower incident reported in Illinois.

In March, 51-year-old Daniel Crumine died after he was found under a mower at the maintenance building of Lincoln Greens Golf Course, operated by the Springfield Park District. Authorities said he died from crush injuries.

At the time, Springfield Park District Police Chief Patrick Murphy called that case “an unfortunate, tragic accident,” adding that there was no criminal element suspected but that officials would still conduct a full investigation.

Following that incident, the Springfield Park District said it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the tragedy and offered condolences to the victim’s family.

Now, another golf course community is facing the same kind of horror after Roush’s sudden and tragic death.